Former Tottenham Hotspur winger Andros Townsend has admitted Spurs had a player who done stuff in training he’d never seen before.
The summer’s Euros are now well underway and Andros Townsend has joined the ITV Sport coverage over in Germany.
The former Tottenham man is still playing football with Luton Town having spent the 2023/24 campaign back in the Premier League.
During Wednesday’s coverage of the European Championship, Townsend found himself commentating on one of his former teammates from hit time at Spurs.
And the 32-year-old has admitted the player in question was capable of doing things he’d never seen done on a football pitch before.
Andros Townsend admits £15m Tottenham player left him amazed
Having come through the ranks in north London, Townsend was handed his senior debut for Spurs in the FA Cup at the age of 19.
Coming up against Charlton Athletic, Townsend was even able to get his name on the scoresheet as he shared the pitch with some big names like Jermain Defoe and Michael Dawson.
But it is neither of them who left Townsend stunned in Spurs training with Luka Modric revealed the be the man who shone during their time together in north London.
Speaking on ITV‘s coverage of Croatia’s game against Albania from Hamburg, Townsend recalled what it was like training alongside the 38-year-old.
“What really surprised me is how good he is at using his body. When he first came to England people said he’s too small to play central midfield,” he said.
“Watching him in training, he always made sure his first touch gets across his defender so if they do make contact with him it’s a foul. He never allows himself to go should-to-shoulder with a much stronger opponent.
“For me, I’d never seen that before it was genius!”
Luka Modric’s longevity reflects well on Tottenham
It has now been 12 years since Modric made the move from Tottenham to Real Madrid after originally signing from Dinamo Zagreb for around £15m.
Despite being 38-years-old, Modric is still going for club and country having recently got his hands on his sixth Champions League trophy.
Of course, the heavy lifting of Modric’s career has been done in the Spanish capital, but to have identified the Croatian from his homeland back in 2008 reflects well on Tottenham’s recruitment system.
The only regret Tottenham may have over Modric is allowing him to go for just £30m considering Gareth Bale moved the following summer for a world record fee and did not provide the same longevity Modric has.